Former Central District coach Roy Laird slams SANFL over concessions offered to AFL clubs
Recently retired Central District coach Roy Laird is passionate about the SANFL, but he is angry at the help being offered to the league’s two AFL clubs.
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Central District coaching legend Roy Laird has not held back in slamming the SANFL for pandering to the “squealing” of Adelaide’s AFL clubs.
The now-retired seven-times premiership coach took a parting shot at the league, claiming attractive concessions granted to the AFL clubs’ reserves after the 2018 season had significantly strengthened those teams to the detriment of the competition.
The introduction of base payments for top-up players had created an unfair situation, according to Laird, and allowing the reserves teams to have 17 AFL-listed players in the finals gave Adelaide and Port Adelaide a massive advantage given they could attract superior players.
Laird also noted comments from Port Adelaide when it said it would be putting all its resources into the state league finals following the Power’s demise and he argued the SANFL premiership was just a consolation prize. However, he said the SANFL flag is the ultimate prize for the traditional clubs.
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“It was a disappointing season for North Adelaide, West Adelaide, Woodville-West Torrens and Central District,’’ Laird said.
“There will be great interest from a league point of view what concessions those clubs will be granted next year. Because it appears you just have to squeal and jump up and down, which is what Port and the Crows did last year, to be granted certain concessions.
“As we all know, there will be no such concessions for the SANFL’s traditional clubs, which will be another example we are prepared to bend over and appease their demands.”
The Crows and Power were hit by injuries last season, impacting on their reserves teams and they finished bottom and second bottom respectively.
The two clubs met with the SANFL and were granted a marquee player, plus were allowed to offer $20,000 in base payments with a cap of $4000 to attract high quality top up players.
Laird argues the bottom tiered players at SANFL clubs receive no base payments, just match fees, so why should their equivalent in the AFL reserves teams be offered the bonus money.
“Clearly players will jump to those clubs if they are in a position to offer more money,” Laird said. “It is a ridiculous situation.
“We spoke with potential recruits and they knocked us back on the line they were staying in the country to play football, then within weeks they signed with Adelaide or Port Adelaide on the basis of limited training expectations and what we assume more money with the base payments.
“Those clubs now also have the benefit of a mid-season draft and the potential to strengthen their sides with the best players from the traditional clubs. Why give them those other concessions as well?
“It would be extremely frustrating for South Adelaide, who just missed the finals, after losing players under the new AFL draft rules. Its whole livelihood depends on satisfying members, supporters and sponsors.”
Laird said the AFL clubs will argue they have yet to win the SANFL flag, but he noted Port had contested three grand finals, losing two by less than a goal, since becoming the Power reserves in 2014, while the Crows contested the preliminary final this year.
“The majority of SANFL clubs need the AFL reserves sides to have injuries to be competitive,” Laird said. “So why does the SANFL give them more concessions?”
SANFL general manager football Adam Kelly defended the changes to the regulations at the end of the 2018 season, claiming the introduction of a $20,000 player payment cap, in addition to a match payment limits of $400, was to underpin the attractiveness, relevance and quality of the league by ensuring “state league quality players were participating for the AFC and PAFC”.
“In many cases, the supplementary list players are aspirational and seeking further development, but were either lacking opportunity at SANFL league level or had not been part of the SANFL competition,” Kelly said.
“Ultimately, this has increased the pool of SANFL league quality players, with players such as Tom Hutchesson and Hamish Latchford, benefiting from the opportunity at AFC and PAFC and the resources they have provided for their development.”
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Kelly noted the winning percentage of the AFL clubs in the six years they have been in the competition was 50 per cent.
An obligation of the licence agreement, entered into in 2013 and concluding at the end of the 2028 season, for the AFC and PAFC to compete in the league is to have an annual review of the terms and conditions of the licence, as well as the regulations pertaining to the AFL club teams.
The impact of last year’s changes is being assessed in a review of the 2019 season.